Palace

originally meant a dwelling on the Palatine Hill of Rome. This
hill was so called from Pales, a pastoral deity, whose festival was
celebrated on April 21st, the “birthday of Rome,” to commemorate the
day when Romulus,
the wolf-child, drew the first furrow at the foot of the hill, and
thus laid the foundation of the “Roma Quadrata,” the most ancient part
of the city. On this hill Augustus built his mansion, and his example
was followed by Tiberius and Nero. Under the last-named emperor, all
private houses on the hill had to be pulled down to make room for “The
Golden House,” called the Palatium, the palace of palaces. It continued
to be the residence of the Roman emperors to the time of Alexander
Severus. (See Pallace.)